Susan Hankinson
Research areas include the etiology and prevention of women's cancers, as well as the incorporation of biomarkers into population studies.
Current Research
I am a cancer epidemiologist with expertise in evaluating lifestyle factors as well as a range of biomarkers in relation to cancer (largely breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer) risk and survival. To date, much of my effort has focused on the use of urinary or blood markers to characterize exposure status (or change in exposure status) in relation to disease risk; other projects have evaluated tissue markers to either better understand biologic pathways underlying an exposure, or to define cancer subtypes. A primary focus has been the evaluation of hormones and nutrients in relation to breast cancer risk. I also have an interest in developing biomarkers of chronic stress, and in assessing biologic changes associated with alterations in lifestyle (e.g., change in diet or physical activity). Further, for biomarkers consistently linked to disease (e.g., sex steroid hormones and breast cancer), I have worked to improve disease risk prediction models. Because of this work, I also am a member of the Center for Personalized Health Monitoring.
Learn more at www.umass.edu/sphhs/person/faculty/susan-e-hankinson
Academic Background:
- BS Nursing, University of Maine, 1979
- MS Environmental Health, University of Minnesota, 1985
- MPH Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, 1986
- ScD Epidemiology, Harvard University, 1992
